


Headaches

by guineamania



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fainting, Headaches, M/M, Mental Coercion, Mental Instability, Nightmares, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5714962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineamania/pseuds/guineamania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe Dameron hadn't been right since his rescue, but because of his pride no one really knew how bad it was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Headaches

Finn wasn’t there the first time Poe collapsed but he heard about it pretty quickly. Finn had been awake for about a week but they still wanted to keep him under observation in the medical bay. So when Poe was rolled in on a trolley, Finn freaked out. His body was limp and the rise and fall of his chest was far weaker than it should have been. “What’s wrong with him? Someone tell me what’s going on!” Finn shouted, pushing his way into Poe’s private room.

“We don’t know Finn, just leave us to do our jobs and we’ll tell you when we know more,” one of the medics stated, escorting Finn back to his bed. That just led to a very nervous wait and Finn snapping the head off anyone that tried to distract him. Hours later, the medic from before walked in and Finn nearly took Jess’ head off with the speed he sat up. “To be honest with you, we don’t know what was wrong with Poe, he is awake now with no signs of a concussion or any other things that could make him collapse that suddenly,” this explanation was not filling Finn with confidence. “All we can think is that this is just a lingering after effect of the torture at the hands of the First Order. It could just be his mind trying to heal by rebooting itself,” the medic continued and it did make sense. Poe did seem to shake off what had happened to him remarkably quickly. Kylo Ren’s interrogation methods usually killed people and Poe had survived then gone on to break out, crash land and fight in a war without stopping. “We’ll keep an eye on him but he should be fine.”

 

Poe dropped by to see Finn as soon as he had coerced the medics to let him get back to work. “Are you sure you are okay?” Finn asked, leaning against Poe’s chest. The pilot was softly massaging around Finn’s scars like the therapists used to do.

“I’ll be fine. It didn’t hurt or anything, I was just conscious then I wasn’t,” Poe shrugged.

“That’s not nothing. You need to be careful,” Finn ordered but was just met with a playful smile. Even after all the trouble they had been through, Poe was still as reckless as ever and Finn couldn’t help but worry about his boyfriend.

“I promise, the quacks just say it was dehydration nothing major,” Poe replied, kissing the top of Finn’s head as he shuffled off the bed. Finn nodded, it wasn’t unheard of for Poe to miss meals and forget to look after himself, and especially after all they had been through this was a logical explanation.

 

The second time it happened Finn had just been discharged and was moving in with Poe. This time Poe didn’t faint, it was while he was sleeping. Finn was woken up by the cries of pain from the bunk above his. As he slowly got up, Poe was tossing and turning so much Finn had to catch him as he fell from the bunk. With the writhing Poe in his arms, Finn settled down on the floor, gently trying to wake Poe up. “Hey buddy come on, it’s just a dream,” Finn ended up shouting, resorting to try and shake Poe out of his dream state. Poe’s eyes snapped open and he threw himself out of Finn’s arms.

“Finn? Buddy you’re alive!” Poe exclaimed, gawping at Finn before he looked around the room. “And how did we get back here, is BB okay?” Poe continued, panic appearing at the thought that his mission had failed.

“Poe, it’s okay. You’re safe. You finished the mission. It’ll all come back to you in a minute,” Finn tried to sooth Poe even though Finn was concerned at this sudden memory loss. Poe’s expression calmed before a smile formed on his lips.

“Oh yeah sorry Finn, nightmares sometimes take a while to wake up from,” Poe laughed, trying to brush it off but Finn was still worried. He knew that Poe had nightmares but they had never been this bad before.

 

Poe’s memory was shocking and Finn suspected it was due to the lack of sleep his roommate was getting. No one ever seemed to see him sleep or eat. It was like he was a man on a mission, apart from there was no mission. There was literally nothing happening but Poe couldn’t seem to grasp that. He was always taking people’s shifts and offering to go on supply runs while checking every X-Wing he could get his hands on to make sure it was safe. But there were days where he forgot who Finn was and on day he forgot he was the commander and leader of the Black Squadron. Finn tried to get him to go for a check-up but Poe Dameron was far too busy for that.

 

The next time Poe fainted, Finn was there. It was a month after the last major episode, Rey had just got back with Luke and so they were all sat in Poe and Finn’s room chatting. Poe jumped up to go get them all drinks and he just wobbled, then the pain came and he was panting clutching his head. Finn and Rey both leapt up just as Poe’s legs gave way. Rey was able to catch him and lay Poe’s limp body on the floor. “Finn go get the medics and Master Luke!” Rey shouted, gritting her teeth as if there was pain rippling through her as well. Finn didn’t need to be told twice. He sprinting through the corridors shouting for help as he approached the med bay. The medics seemed to thankfully get the gist and set off running back the way he came. Now Finn had no idea why Rey needed Master Skywalker but he wasn’t going to argue with the Jedi so he ran to the control room. Rey had mentioned something about Luke being in talks with Leia all day and Finn could only pray that the twins were still catching up. He barged into the room shocking the two generals. “Finn what is…” Leia began frowning but she saw the panic on his face.

“It’s Poe he’s collapsed again and Rey said to get you,” Finn blurted out all in one breath but thankfully Luke seemed to understand.

“Let’s go,” the Jedi master nodded.

 

They met Rey, Poe and the medics on the way back to the room. Poe was loaded up onto a gurney and he was not looking good. Once again he was as pale as a sheet and when they checked his eyes they were massively blood shot. Rey also wasn’t looking particularly good, she had also paled and blood was slowly trickling from her nose. Luke instantly went to Rey’s side as Finn jogged along beside Poe’s gurney. “There’s something interfering with his mind. I could feel it trying to lash out,” Rey explained frantically, and Luke just nodded.

“I can feel it too. Someone has infected his mind and is trying to take over,” Luke stated, and Finn understood what he meant. He meant that there was nothing these medics could do and the only way Poe was going to be saved was through the force. The medics lifted Poe onto the bed and prepared to try and get some fluids and a bacta solution to try and repair the damage the force user was inflicting on his brain. Rey had to leave the room with the toll the waves of darkness rolling off Poe. “Finn, you may want to step back. It is likely that this will not be pleasant,” Luke warned him but Finn was not going anywhere. He had to be here for Poe no matter what they would contain. Luke stood over Poe’s limp and trembling body, resting a palm across the pilot’s sweaty forehead. Suddenly Poe tensed up and Luke’s face twisted in pain and effort. It looked like the force was trying to push him out like it was doing with Rey. Poe’s hand clenched around Finn’s as he started to scream. This mental battle in his mind was tearing him apart. After what seemed like an age, Luke’s eyes snapped open and he visibly recoiled. “Ben has got stronger since I last faced him,” was all Luke said and that was enough to cause Finn’s jaw to drop.

“Kylo Ren is in Poe’s head,” Finn stuttered, Poe had stopped his cries and was now just laid there like he was asleep. Asleep while a ranging sociopath was trying to destroy him.

“It seems that when Poe was captured, Kylo planted something in his mind that is now burning through Poe’s memories. His fainting sleeps are his mind shutting down all other activity to try and repair the damage. Kylo is trying to rewrite Poe’s memories, probably to try and turn him,” Luke explained. Now that all sounded familiar to Finn.

“Reconditioning. That’s the same as reconditioning.”


End file.
